New approaches to farming the desert

October 30, 2007

MESA, Ariz. — Arizona State University is hosting a series of lectures by renowned international scientist Amos Richmond, professor emeritus of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, regarding farming in the desert, Nov. 8, 9 and 13, all to be held at ASU’s Polytechnic campus.<separator></separator>Richmond will discuss how deserts may be put to use to provide new agricultural approaches and products and new desert crops from the cultivation of microscopic light-capturing organisms.<separator></separator>Richmond is the founder and former director of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Sede Boker campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and editor of several books including “Handbook of Microalgal Mass Culture” and “Microalgae Culture, Biotechnology, and Applied Phycology” and over 100 publications on desert agriculture, arid zone development, and the physiology and mass culture of algae.<separator></separator>The schedule of presentations follows:<separator></separator><ul><li>Thursday, November 8, 2007 3:00-4:00 pm “The Desert, A Promising and Unexploited Human Habitat” Agribusiness Center (AGBC), Room 140 </li><li>Friday, November 9, 2007 1:30-2:30 pm “Evolution of Concepts in Microalgal Culture” Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building III (ISTB-3), Room 140 </li><li>Tuesday, November 13, 2007 3:00-4:00 pm “Microalgal Culture: A New Desert Crop” Student Union, Cooley Ballroom C </li></ul> The Thursday, Nov 8, and Tuesday, Nov. 13, presentations are free and open to the public and are tailored to a general audience.<separator></separator>Richmond received his B.S degree from California State Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, M.S. degree from UCLA, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University with postdoctoral work at Purdue University and UCLA. The lecture series is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs, and the Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biological Sciences in the School of Applied Arts and Sciences.<separator></separator>For more information, contact professors Qiang Hu, <a href="mailto:huqiang@asu.edu">huqiang@asu.edu</a>, (480) 727-1484, or Milton Sommerfeld <a href="mailto:Milton.sommerfeld@asu.edu">Milton.sommerfeld@asu.edu</a>, (480) 727-1050.